Skillsacademi | Duty of Candour

Duty of Candour

  • Price :£9.99

Introduction

Welcome, whether you are new to healthcare or completing your annual refresher

 

This course is written for TWO audiences:

  •  First-timers: Every concept is explained from scratch with plain language, real examples, and step-by-step guides.

  •  Annual refreshers: Yellow Refresher Reminder boxes highlight where practice drifts over time, updated guidance, and honest reflection questions.

 

Duration: approximately 1.5-2 hours   |   Pass mark: 70%

 

Read through each chapter as if your trainer is speaking directly to you.

Imagine being a patient. Something goes wrong with your care. Nobody tells you. You sense something is not right but nobody will explain. You feel confused, frightened, and eventually – angry. That experience is what the Duty of Candour was designed to prevent.

The Duty of Candour is a legal requirement to be open and honest with patients and families when something goes wrong in their care. It is not optional. It is not just for senior staff. It applies to the organisation and – through professional codes of conduct – to every registered healthcare professional.

For first-timers: you may never have thought about what to do when a mistake happens. This course prepares you for that moment.

For refreshers: how has your practice around candour conversations evolved? Do you find them easier, or do you still avoid them? Honesty here is the point of the exercise.


'The most important factor in whether patients sue after an adverse event is not the event itself

- it is how they were treated afterwards.'

 

Research consistently shows that openness and apology reduce complaints and litigation.

What harms patients most is not just the original error – it is the silence that follows.

Objectives
By the end of this course you will: define the Duty of Candour and its origins; distinguish the statutory from the professional duty; identify when the duty is triggered; describe the required steps; communicate openly with patients after incidents; document the process accurately; and understand the role of organisational culture.

  • Skillsacademi | Quiz Icon Quizzes :

    Yes

  • Skillsacademi | Assessment Icon Assessment :

    Yes

  • Skillsacademi | CPD Certificate Certificate :

    Yes

  1. What Is the Duty of Candour?
  2. When Does the Statutory Duty Apply?
  3. The Four Steps of the Process
  4. Having the Conversation
  5. Documentation
  6. Organisational Culture and Speaking Up